Sunday, June 19, 2011

My parents always encouraged my sister and I to be creative. I remember roller blading to my first art class in first grade so yeah; I've been hooked since then. My grandfather and dad were painters so a somewhat creative environment already surrounded me.

I was also really into the cartoon Calvin and Hobbes. Bill Watterson's way of creating beautiful watercolor landscapes and combining loose ink work really intrigued me and I would always trace his cartoons in when I was younger. But I didn't really start to be serious about drawing or photography until my freshman year at San Francisco state.

What's your favorite part about shooting/drawing?

My favorite part of drawing is exploring my own imagination. I love being able just to let my hand mindless fly on paper and being able to create an image. It’s almost like solving a puzzle I guess combining different textures within a single image.

Are you interested in any other mediums of art?

I took a print making class last semester and I fell in love with woodcuts. It’s just a whole other way of thinking compared to photography or drawing. It’s a nice break from what I normally do and it requires more craft and hands on work. Its very new medium to me and very interesting because I almost have less control of the image and it’s like a conjoined effort between the wood and me.

I would love to SCREEN PRINT! More than anything but I haven't really had time or a chance to learn but hopefully I will soon.

What's the most challenging part of your craft?

What's challenging for me is that expensive of everything, I don't think people realize how expensive art really is. Also the [amount of] time. It is very time consuming; I could spend days on a single woodcut.

What kind of projects are you working on now?

I working on multiple personal projects right now, two new woodcuts, crayon drawings, as well as a cut piece painting. . I am also working on an illustration for a friend's band.

I have been working on a casino packaging project for my graphic design class, which is consuming most of my free time.

Who/what influences you?

I am truly inspired by the illustrator Charley Harper. I feel as if his illustrations have character with a hint of humor to them. They are beautifully executed and have a simple complexity. He is able to visually tell the story of God’s creation by capturing quirks and natural geometric forms found in nature. There is sense of nostalgia in his artwork that in which I try to mimic in my own work.

What's next for Kristina Micotti?

Hopefully a lot more woodcuts and personal art projects. I would like to explore more creatively possibly even try some animation.

But for now I would like to go to grad school for illustration or even printmaking. Only time will tell.

You can check out more of Kristinas fantastic work at her site: Whimsically Made